Improvement in railroad bulletin-boxes



W; T. JACOBY.

RAILROAD BULLETIN-BOX.

Patented Deb. 28,1875.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. JACOBY, OF UNIONTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD BULLETIN-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. [71,571, dated December 28, 1875; application filed November 19, 1875. p

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. JAOOBY, of Uniontown, county of Fayette and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a Railroad Bulletin-Box, of which the following is a specification: The object of my invention'is to provide V a box, upon metallic sheets that open and close like the leaves of a book, and by having an index-page always in sight referring to the sheet on which each notice or order may be found.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a front elevation of the box in perspective, with its lid closed. Fig. 2 shows a front view with the lid open. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper left-hand corner of the box in section, with one of the sliding plates f withdrawn, and one of the hinge-rods 0 partially withdrawn.

A is the box,,which, for office use, I prefer to make about two and a half feet long by about eighteen inches .wide. The depth may be varied according to the number of hinged metal sheets it is intended to contain.

In the drawing ten sheets are shown, and there isroom in the box for four more. By

,inaking the box deeper the number of sheets may be increased at pleasure.

The lid B has a glass face, under which is the index-plate B, always fully in View when the lid is closed. I

This index-plate is marked off in squares or blocks, each square having a letter or number referring to a particular sheet in the box correspondingly lettered or numbered, so that when any notice or order is briefly noted on any particular square--as, for instance, defective bridge, or obstruction by turning to the sheet having the corresponding letter or number, the notice or order referred to will be readily found.

The index-plate and the lid are so constructed that said plate may be easily slid out of the lid and returned, being held in place by the plates b b b on the inner side of said lid, under the edge of which it slides.

The bulletin-plates shown in the drawing, consecutively lettered from A to J, inclusive, are hinged in the box at the same end to which the lid B is hinged. These hinges are formed by turning over the end of the metal sheet (which may be of tin or any other suitable sheet metal) into the form of a tube, as shown at 0, and inserting through the sides of the box and through said tube a rod, 0, which forms the pivot upon which the sheet turns. box through which said pivot-rods pass are made in a diagonal line, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the bulletin-leaves will not interfere in opening, and should pass through metal plates 0 0 inside of the box, to prevent the wearing and abrasion of the Wood of which the box is made. On each outer side of the box covering said holes is a dovetailed metal sliding plate, f. When it is desired to remove the bulletin-plates, or any one of them, said sliding plates are withdrawn, and then said rods 0 may be easily withdrawn or replaced.

For the use of the engineers on the locomotive a box of a smaller sizesay about ten inches in length by about six inches in widthwill be preferable, the sheets being large enough to receive a page of note-paper.

A box of the dimensions first herein mention ed, having sixteen bulletin sheets or plates, will contain about thirty-six square feet of surface for posting notices and orders, equal in area to a bulletin-board six feet square.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination of the box, the hinged bulletin-sheets, and the index-plate, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as described.

2. In combination with the box and bulletin-sheets, hinged in the manner described, the sliding plates f, as and for the purpose set forth.

WM. T. JAOOBY.

Witnesses:

A. H. NORRIS, J 0s. L. GooMBs.

The series of holes in the sides of the I 

